SecuRead NFC module offers biometric capabilities

Contactless smartcard chipmaker Inside Secure SA recently announced that its SecuRead NFC component now comes with biometric matching capabilities.

According to the Aix-en-Provence-based chip supplier, using the system-in-package device, manufacturers of NFC-enabled equipment can deliver two-factor security and greater privacy for various mobile applications.

The component uses fingerprint identification software from Lithuania's Neurotechnology running on the SecuRead secure element, and debuts on the TazCard, the NFC electronic wallet from French firm TazTag SA.

A demonstration at Mobile World Congress employs a PC with a small fingerprint scanner attached to it representing a point-of-sale (POS) terminal and a TazCard NFC wallet running a payment application.

The PC will first be used to capture the TazCard user's fingerprint as part of the enrollment process. The fingerprint minutiae points will be extracted by the Neurotechnology software on the PC and transmitted to the TazCard, where it will be securely stored in the SecuRead. When a purchase is attempted the SecuRead will use its onboard Neurotechnology software to compare new fingerprint data with the trusted data previously stored during enrollment and which never leaves the secure element. If the two match, the payment transaction will be allowed to proceed. The same process can be used for other types of applications such as secured access control or ID.

The TazCard incorporates both the SecuRead module and the VaultIC security module to protect access to the personal data and applications. VaultIC provides secure storage of keys, certificates and user data while dramatically reducing or eliminating the need for custom development.

"Privacy is ensured because once the user's fingerprint is stored in the secure element of the SecuRead device, all subsequent fingerprint matching operations are processed there, too, and the original fingerprint data is never exposed again," said Bastien Latge, senior product manager, secure element and mobile applications at Inside Secure, in a statement.

- Peter Clarke
??EE Times